Creston and Banff

From Kitty Comforter Pauline Chin:

Creston & Banff

This pair journeyed all the way from Alberta where they lived in a hoarder’s house with many other animals.  Being leukemia kitties, they had no place to go, so it’s off to the Sanctuary to join the FeLV+ cats and their playground.

Creston

Cats from hoarder homes are mystery packages.  We don’t know what sort of handling, or socialization they’ve had, surprising triggers, or what their of opinion of humans is.  The least we can hope for is a clean bill of health or fast recovery.  Personality quirks are bonus discoveries.

Zanda

Walleyed Creston looks a tad rough around the edges, like the late Zanda.  Despite that, this boy has an unusually cuddly personality.  During the first 2 weeks, he spent his time camping in his tent.  He could be seen randomly gobbling down wet food or treats.  Sometimes, he greeted humans with hisses.  He acts cautious initially because he doesn’t know if your hands are going to poke and prod him or pet him.  Once he’s sure of the latter, he’ll push his head into your hand and insist on head scratches.  

Creston’s quirk is to go roly-poly and nearly tumble off the shelf while being petted.  I can’t tell if he’s looking for the most comfortable spot or if he gets enjoyment out of rolling around, making funny poses.  When he purrs, his front half vibrates.  If he doesn’t want you touching his soft belly, he’ll politely nudge your hand away with his back feet.  No claws involved.

I spent a couple minutes removing a mat from his tail.  Not once did he protest, nor whip his head around like other cats and hiss, “what are you doing, human?!”  Of course, I let him sniff test the mat to see if he was familiar with it.

Every new item in Creston’s cage warrants a sniff, but there’s a lack of engagement in toys.  Perhaps he’s not familiar with playtime?  The other cats will gladly demonstrate the joy of toys for him once he’s out of the cage. 

Banff

Across the way is Banff.  He has a very clean and bright appearance.  Most orange cats have a white muzzle.  Banff’s muzzle is orange and he reminds me of Baby, late Queen of the Moore House.  He still retains his curious kitten looks. Whip out a new toy and watch his eyes grow into saucers.

Banff and his toys

You can often hear toy balls rattling and little feet bouncing around.  He’ll hurry to the front to check out toys and then shy away when your hand starts moving.  He’s touchable, but you have to be sneaky with the petting - using a wand in one hand and petting with the other.  The challenge now is to get him used to touch before his release day.  It would be a tragedy for a youngster like him to spend his time hiding in a corner of the playground.  Quite the opposite of Creston!

Daphne (now adopted)

I predict he’ll be another Daphne - shy in the first month and an attention hog thereafter.  He’s also fond of treats.  It wouldn't be surprising if he started asking for them regularly.  

Anything for me?

Banff has an odd habit of vocalizing when we’re interacting with other cats - they're a mixture of wind-up chirps, coos, meeps, and rolling meows.  Yet, when we turn towards him, he goes silent.  

Banff exploring

The med staff have decided that it's time to let these two face the wider world of the Leukemia kitties, and perhaps make some new friends. 

happy together

Those of us who devoted time to socializing this pint-sized panther and tiny tiger are eager to have them roam their new kingdom.  They’re far from feral and enjoy interactions.  Two quirky new kitties are more than welcome here.

Blog and all photos by Pauline Chin